GREENSBORO — New Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing is getting down to one of the goals he laid out when he started the job in May — making the county more efficient.

Two Guilford County departments soon will become one with the consolidation of the Facilities and the Property and Parks Management departments.

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the move Thursday, calling it just the sort of restructuring the county needs.

Lawing said the departments have similar goals. Both departments lost their leaders to retirement earlier this year. Lawing said that created an opportunity to eliminate one vacant position and hire one person to oversee the combined departments.

“You rarely get that kind of opportunity,” he said.

The county’s Facilities Department maintains county buildings and oversees new construction. The Property and Parks Management Department maintains an inventory of county property, arranges real estate deals, and since January, maintains the county’s parks after taking over responsibility from municipalities.

Lawing said the county will begin looking for a director of the new Facilities, Property and Parks Management Department — possibly an engineer and certainly someone with management experience.

“This is exactly the kind of efficiencies we want to find in county government,” Commissioner Hank Henning said. “And when you can do it by eliminating empty positions, that’s even better.”

On Thursday, many commissioners also took time to publicly send thoughts and prayers to former Commissioner Billy Yow, who sustained a head injury in a well-drilling accident on June 21.

Speaking at a public meeting for the first time since the accident, all of the commissioners said they are relieved to hear that Yow has left the hospital and is undergoing rehabilitation.

“Billy’s head was harder than I accused it of being all those years,” Chairwoman Linda Shaw said jokingly. “We want to say to Billy, ‘We lift you up. We think about you and we love you.’?”